Jeffery Smith
reporter
Stress can cause anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, triggering those to become overwhelmed with pressure for many students who attend TCC.
Exhaustion is the main effect of these symptoms and can have a negative impact on students and lead learners to become depressed and give up on their classes.
South campus student Charelle Jordon said it’s stressful reaching the right balance between school and family.
“As a single mother, it becomes very stressful to maintain my kids, school, and work,” Jordon said. “Plus, with the excessive amount of homework given, it can easily give me depression.”
Schoolwork can be even more of a detriment to students who already have mental health issues, making it difficult for them to be successful as they struggle to deal with both classes and outside interests.
“When we give a general mental health diagnosis, we as counselors must ask students if these symptoms affecting their everyday life, such as family, school and personal relationships, would be beneficial regarding their school status,” South counselor Andrew Hill said.
Ways to improve mental health would be to use available tools, such as reaching out to a TCC counselor.
“We want students to know that we specifically highlight mental health for active students at TCC, and we provide free counseling services for those who need it,” Hill said.
Students can also expand their support systems by sharing similar activities and school groups with other students.
“This semester, surprisingly, has actually been one of the best years for me and my mental health, simply because I got a job here at TCC, which allowed me to focus on my activities,” student Brontee Mayhew said.
Motivation isn’t always internal, so sometimes it is best to seek outside help to help yourself and practice self-care to better your mental health. Doing things that you enjoy has a positive impact on the mood as well.
“What I do to keep my anxiety from becoming too much for me is I take a walk while listening to the calm sounds of nature in my headphones and sometimes I play video games as well,” student Jaylan Singh said.
